A Vulcan and A Human: Together
by ChaoticDeer
Summary: Alyssa Landers and Saruk had grown up together. Every summer Saruk would come with his father to research the different cultures on earth and Alyssa's father had opened their home to them every single time. But after the years spent apart, will they have a chance to become reintroduced to each other once more while in the serves of Starfleet? Will there be more between them now?
1. Kobayashi Maru

**Be sure to read my one-shot of these characters 'A Vulcan and A Human'  
I am also rewriting these so they will be broken up and or changed a little or a lot.  
I would also like to thank Catstop who has agreed to help me with the characters Alyssa and Saruk when it comes to southern sayings and variations of words... I suck at it... ENJOY!**

* * *

Alyssa Landers never saw herself in Starfleet Academy when she was little.

She never saw herself one day soaring through the stars at high speeds.

But now at the age of twenty she was playing number one to a cadet who took the role of the captain in the Kobayashi Maru simulation they were running. As she sat in the communications chair her heart felt like it was about to give out every time the bridge lurched violently. Alyssa wondered why she was even filling a position for communications when she was a science student and she wished she hadn't volunteered to even help for this particular test. She wished she that she was back in her room, studying for a different test that was coming up for her Xenobiology class in a few days instead...

The fake bridge shook as a 'Klingon' war ship fired on them and Alyssa gripped her console tightly, fighting to remain seated as some of her other fellow cadets were knocked to the floor. Then the bridge gave another violent lurch and their 'captain' took a fall, knocking his head on another piece of equipment and stayed down…

'Oh great.!' Alyssa screamed in her mind as she stood and stumbled to take command.

"Number one… I m-mean CAPTAIN! Our rear facing shields are down and the Klingons are not responding to our hails! What now!" Another cadet shouted as he plugged away at the buttons, trying to figure out what to do. Alyssa tried to think through all the shouting of damage reports and alarms, but it was difficult as voices got louder and louder, it was driving her nuts!

"WILL Y'ALL JUST SHU'UP!" She screamed, her southern accent thicker than usual as she slammed her hand down hard, the shouting stopped, and all eyes were on her. "With y'all shouten at once I can't think! Its maken me madder than a wet hen!" After a few silent moments she breathed and pointed to the cadet that had taken her place at communications.

"Ok Flore continue to try and hail them just in case they do decide to talk… Cadets Roger and T'Prim reroute energy from the rear phasers to the shields! Everyone else evasive maneuvers! Ready all remaining weapons and prepare to fire!"

Once she took control the fake bridge shook less violently, and the screaming stopped.

* * *

Up in the observation room stood Captain Falion and First Officer Lieutenant Saruk of the U.S.S. Rexburg, along with a number of professors.

Saruk watched Cadet Landers take the role of captain and his eyebrow rose so slightly when she shouted at her fellow cadets, one would hardly notice. Captain Falion on the other hand had noticed the slight movement as he glanced at the young Vulcan from the corner of his eye before looking back at the simulation. The cadets were now reaching the climax of the Kobayashi Maru and desperation was starting to settle among the makeshift crew and the female cadet playing captain began typing away at the controls at communications as the cadet who was there before broke down from the stress. Order after order falling from her lips as she stared at the screen, unblinking.

"Cadet Landers is… Sufficient." Captain Falion said. "What are your thoughts lieutenant? Is she U.S.S. Rexburg material or should we continue looking?" He asked and Saruk cleared his throat.

"I would be an illogical choice to seek such an opinion from. I have grown up with her thanks to the close friendship of our fathers and have acquired a close bond with her. This fact runs the risk of me boosting credibility in her talents to help assign her to the same ship as I." Saruk answered and Falion chuckled.

"Or maybe such a close relationship and a deep knowledge of her past and personality can help another person better understand her ability's in real life situations on a real ship and whether or not she has what it takes. Remember lieutenant I am seeing her through my eyes and I am watching her in a simulation. Though the Kobayashi Maru is famous for its unbeatable no win scenarios it seems she is doing well at staving off the conclusion… She might even break the record of thirty minutes at this rate." He said as the simulations light flickered violent before one of the cadets managed to get them under control. Time moved on and he noticed that his Lieutenant kept looking at the clock hanging on the wall.

"How long has it been Lieutenant?"

"It has been Twenty-Five Minutes Thirty-three seconds and counting." Saruk said and they watched at Alyssa Landers finally called it, shouting to the cadets to finally abandon ship. All but two rushed out happily while the remaining two were hesitant to leave, looking unsure if they should abandon their captain. It took the southern girl shouting at them once more to get them to rush out with the others. Once the doors to the fake bridge closed the simulation was cut off and the flashing lights ended. Alyssa left the fake bridge rather quickly without so much as a goodbye or a thank you which surprised Saruk but he didn't dwell on it for long. He spared the unconscious cadet one more quick glance as academy medical officers rushed in to get him on a stretcher.

"Twenty-Three minutes… She didn't break the academy record but impressive non-the less. Do you agree Lieutenant?"

"Yes Captain I do find her performance to be very impressive."

"Good… I will be going to retrieve her academy files, so I can read up on her academic ventures… Why don't you go enjoy yourself, I will call you when it is time to return to the ship."

Saruk watched his captain leave the room before turning back to the now empty simulator, remembering his own Kobayashi Maru.


	2. An Offer

Alyssa went straight to her on campus apartment and changed out of her uniform into a pair of old, grass and paint stained overalls with a 'Star Ravers' shirt underneath. The band shirt was faded and full of holes now, but it was extremely comfortable, and she continued to wear it long after the hem of the shirt reached past her navel. Alyssa let her strawberry blond hair out of its bun and let it fall to the middle of her back. Her hair had once been sun bleached do to all the time she spent growing up out on her father's farm. But since she came to Starfleet Academy it had darkened and the reddish gold hue that now framed her face, while her once tanned, sun kissed skin became fairer. But her large happy green eyes remained the same, though now with a slight shadow under them now from the many sleepless nights of studying.

Alyssa opened her digital Xenobiology book, so she could read as she prepared her lunch. The test coming up was for the complete analysis, compare and contrast of the biology of Vulcans and Romulans. She found the choice very interesting since Vulcans and Romulans were derived from the same ancestry, so their biology was very similar.

As she searched for through the replicater's menu for something to prepare quickly when a voice spoke from the hidden speakers around the apartment saying, 'company at front door' before a small screen light up to show who was there. It was Captain Falion, with a folder in his hand and a serious look on his face that spoke of business. With a frown she activated the com and spoke.

"May I help you Captain?" She asked as she yanked her hair back up, creating a sloppy bun.

"Yes, Cadet Landers… May I come in? I have some important matters to discuss with you concerning your future in Starfleet." He held up the file for her to see and she pressed a command button for the door.

"Please come in Captain." Alyssa watched him enter and she stood ramrod straight like anyone would do in his presence. Captain Falion found it funny that her posture reminded him more of a Vulcan then of someone who was raised on a farm.

"Permission to speak freely Captain." Falion blinked a few times, processing what she had said to him before smiling and nodding. "If you wished to speak to me you could have sent for me and I would have come to the academy's offices. It would be a little more appropriate and more professional after all." Falion smiled at her as he moved further into the apartment to sit on her couch, setting the file down on the book laden coffee table.

"The matter in which I came to talk to you about was last minute and a shocking surprise on your part… My I trouble you for some tea while I get this arranged for our discussion?"

Alyssa was dumbfounded by how forward he was and felt he was being a little rude but instead of calling him out on it she found herself making tea on her hardly ever used stove top. She kept glancing at the Captain as the tea brewed, watching him as while he sifted through the papers in the folder he had brought.

"I was impressed by your performance in the simulator earlier and took the liberty to read up on your progress here at the academy." Alyssa jumped when Captain Falion broke the silence and she stared at him almost like a deer caught in headlights. "You have completed a great deal of your classes already and you have even gone further by taking advanced classes for medical and science. Normally such classes aren't required but are there for those who really want to develop in those fields as a permanent career… Tell me what do you plan on doing once you are finished with Starfleet Ms. Landers."

"W… Well I haven't given much thought to that really. Truth be told when I was younger I always thought of nothing but settling down and having my own family… But as I got older I didn't find the men where I am from to be very acceptable as husbands. At least they didn't meet my expectation for a good husband. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't hold an intelligent conversation that didn't have to do with their family farm, how they fixed up an old car or how they just want a sit at home little women that can cook…"

"So you came here searching for an acceptable husband?" He wasn't surprised, there were plenty of young women who go to college or even the academy with the intent to find a husband who can take care of her.

"No, I came here because I was bored and felt I could find some excitement here… Not to mention I was missing my best friend." She shrugged and Falion chuckled.

"Best friend?"

"Oh… Lieutenant Surak is a childhood friend of mine. My father was a part of Starfleet before he became a stay at home father after my mother passed… I was about four when Starfleet called and asked him to play host to a Vulcan professor. He was coming to Earth to study the many diverse cultures found here. My father said yes, and our ranch became the second home to professor Saadik and his son… Well I guess Saadik liked the ranch house because every summer he would return and stay with s, or drop his son off while he went someplace else for a few days for research and then join his son latter." She wasn't shy about sharing this information and Falion nodded as he sat more papers aside, reading each one.

"It says here you have completed the requirements for engineering and for medical as well. You have also taken and completed classes for Geography as well." He said as he moved a slip of paper aside. "Medical and Geography… Planning to go camping or something cadet?"

"I find it is wise to be prepared for any situation. What if me and other crew members were on a shuttle and the engines give out and strands us on a planet with we have no communications? It would be very fruitful if at least one of the party members was well learned in all if not most fields." She said, and the Captain laughed heartily.

"That is very true and sounds very paranoid as well." He didn't miss the frown she gave him as she finished the tea, nor the sharp sound the cup made when she placed it beside the folder for him. He knew he had irritated her and Falion gave her a slight smile as he reached for the cup. "Sorry, I meant no offence cadet… How about we move on to a quick little quiz… Why don't you tell me how Romulans came to be and what are the similarities between Vulcans and Romulans?"

Alyssa was taken off guard but quickly recovered and thought for a moment before speaking from memory, forgetting that her digital book was left open on the island behind her.

"Uuuuummmm… The Romulans began as a revolutionary group of Vulcans who refused to accept the Vulcan philosopher Surak's teachings of the complete suppression of emotions. At some point in their shared history, this particular group left the planet of Vulcan, eventually settling on the planets Romulus and Remus. Like Vulcans, Romulans have pointed ears, upswept eyebrows, and copper-based blood that is green when oxygenated in the arteries and copper or rust colored when deoxygenated in the veins… For a long time Romulans and Vulcans could not be distinguished from each other until Romulans developed a small V-shaped ridge above the bridge of their nose. Like Vulcans, Romulans almost always have dark to black hair. Romulans also have in common Vulcans' greater physical strength than that of a Human. However, the similarities end when it comes to Vulcans' mental abilities, which the Romulans do not share." She fell silent after that. The Captain stared at her for a long silent moment and cleared his throat.

"That is correct… And that was text book was it not?"

"Yes sir…" She said instantly and Falion nodded.

"Well judging by your records, you have just about completed your four years of education within three and quiet honestly there is no real reason for you to be here since what you are missing can easily be completed on a computer…" Falion say one more piece of paper down and slid it in her direction. "So my offer for you is to take this, and tomorrow report to the earth space dock for departure on the U.S.S. Anubis which will be heading for a three-year excavation mission… You will be getting some field work while completing your final courses over the Starfleet server Cadet… Or should I say, Captain Dorians newest crew member and new assistant to his first officer and head of science." He looked up at Alyssa who stood there holding the tea kettle in her hand. "Do you accept the mission cadet Landers?"

"A three year mission… Head number one science assistant…" She said, and she watched as her world began to tip. Admiral Falion shot to his feet, reaching out to catch her as she began to fall.

* * *

When Alyssa recovered from her episode she was more than happy to agree to the three year mission. Once her classmates found out they couldn't wait to take her out to celebrate the sudden 'graduation' but she wasn't much of a party person. The loud music and the flashing lights had gotten her blood pumping as the night club came together in a loud drunken melting pot and she became nervous because of the writhing bodies closing in on her. She also knew that she was going to be the one driving back as she chugged bottles of water and her classmates downed all forms of alcoholic concoctions.

Her mined spun as she thought about how that time tomorrow she was going to be on a ship leaving everything behind for three years. Her dad and her home, and she wondered when she would ever see Saruk again. It seemed like yesterday when she was reunited with her long time best friend since he left her behind to join Starfleet ten years ago. That would mean she had only been around him for three years, and even those visits were few and far between since he was assigned onto the U.S.S. Rexburg. And now it was her turn to leave him behind, assigned to the U.S.S Anubis. Maybe she could get him to visit her on the planet she will be shipped out to. Then again, she wouldn't want him uncomfortable since Vulcans were partial to warm to hot weather. Where she was going was well below freezing and she will be helping dig up artifacts in the freezing weather.

She could still remember when she first met him. A she remembered a little loud sun bleached blond girl dragging a stiff-backed Vulcan boy all over the creek near her childhood home. Playing with him wasn't easy since her idea of fun and his idea of fun were so far apart that it was amazing they lasted so long.

With a sigh she leaned back against the bar, watching the dancers as she continued to drink her water.

Three years away… She will miss it all.

* * *

Saruk stood outside Alyssa's on campus apartment with a parcel held in his hands.

He had heard of her sudden assignment from a few cadets on the grounds and had thought it logical to congratulate her. He had worked harder then he thought was truly necessary to get her a gift. Honestly flowers would have been a simpler choice for a gift but he found his logic escaped him when trying to find something for her and he thought that since she was leaving in the morning that flowers wouldn't be wise… They would just die.

But sadly she wasn't home, and he had stood there waiting for the past three hours. Glancing at his watch he saw it was almost twelve in the morning.

Looking down at the box in his hands he slowly sat it down on her door mat and straightened quickly to smooth out any wrinkles in his uniform. He walked away only to stop at the stairs to press his com-badge.

"Lieutenant Saruk to U.S.S. Rexburg… Ready to beam up, my business is done here." He said and glowing blue particles surrounded him as they prepared to beam him aboard. He hadn't seen Alyssa returning up the stairs on the other side and she didn't see him as he vanished.


	3. An Ass

_Four-year-old Alyssa stirred a pot full of homemade hot chocolate. Her sun-bleached hair pulled back into sloppy pigtails and she was dressed in old coveralls with holes in the knees and little pink shoes stained with dry muddy water and dirt... Her father was going to be back any minute with guests to earth. Her father, Waren Landers, was a retired Starfleet commander who was called to play host to a Vulcan father and son as they came to earth for research on modern human cultures. Apparently learning off a screen isn't as insightful as studying them in person._

 _She was handy for a four-year-old and had the table piled high with boiled corn, assortments of steamed vegetables, and fruit. She had learned that Vulcans didn't eat meat, so she wanted to make sure she had things they could eat._

 _As she turned off the stove she heard her father's truck pulling in front of the house and she hopped down off her stool to run to meet him and their guests. The moment she saw her dad she went running at him shouting, he happily squatted down and threw his arms open laughing as she hugged him, and he spun her around._

" _There's my girl!" He laughed as the guests exited the truck and stood by with their luggage watching the loving display of a father and his little girl. When Alyssa finally noticed them, she wiggled down from her father's arms and stood there sizing up the youngest of the two Vulcans._

" _Sorry Professor Saadik… This here's my daughter Alyssa Marrie… Alyssa this is Professor Saadik and his son Saruk." Waren pushed Alyssa forward a little and she looked up nervously. Saadik raised his eyebrow at her before silently raising his hand, palm forward with the fingers parted between the middle and ring finger, and the thumb extended._

" _It is very… Nice to meet you Alyssa Marrie Landers." Saadik said and his eyebrow raised as he watched the young girl raise her hand and struggled to imitate the gesture._

" ' _deef tor heh smusmuu' Mr. Saadik." She said proudly and Saadik looked to her father as he knelt down beside her._

" _Honey its pronounced 'dif tor heh smusma'. But excellent job for trying." Waren laughed and Alyssa bounced happily before looking as Saruk who had been watching her. The children watched each other silently and the fathers wondered if they would get along at all. Alyssa stuck up her hand showing her fingers._

" _I'm four!" She announced and Saruk leaned away from her. "How old are ya!"_

" _I am exactly eight years three months one week and five days old." He said and watched as the little girl frowned. "I am eight and a half." He said, and Alyssa smiled._

" _Ya'll maah best friend and I'm yer's!" She announced and began walking back towards the house without another word on the subject. Waren laughed and Saruk looked at him with furrowed eyebrows._

" _Word of wisdom kid… Don fight it because once a girl from around her has stated her claim… She'll get her way I promise ya that. Same thing happened with eer mother." He laughed and Saddik smiled ever so slightly._

" _Come on ya'll I made diner!" Alyssa shouted and Waren frowned._

Alyssa stumbled sleepily up the stairs. Her hair was a mess and she just wanted a shower and to go to bed. As she went to her door she frowned when she stepped on a box. Standing there she stared at it and tilted her head back with a groan… She didn't want to pick it up she was too tired… Then again, she couldn't just leave it there.

With another groan she picked up the large rectangular box before going inside. Plopping down on her couch she ripped the box open without bothering with the tape holding the lid in place and into her lap fell a pile of once neatly folded cloths. The first articles she recognized as being her uniform since she was no longer going to wear cadet red. Her eyes widened at the Science Blue shirt and a pair of black close fitted pants and a black skirt. Setting them aside she was more interested in the course fabric of a long coat that had a collar that would cover half her face and a hood. The inside of it was lined with a soft fur. A note was pinned to it that said, 'It gets cold' and nothing else. She heaved a sigh as she tossed it on the couch, assuming it was sent to the apartment by Captain Falion or someone from the U.S.S. Anubis. Her fatigue was catching back up to her and she wandered back into her room, seeking the much-needed sleep she before her trip to some obscure planet among the stars.

When morning came Alyssa had found herself with only a small case packed for the trip and her new uniform on. Seeing herself in her official Science Blues made it more real for her and she couldn't help but look around her apartment one last time. She would have to make sure someone would come and pack the rest of her things for her, and she was happy she didn't own anything that was considered overly valuable. With a shaky sigh Alyssa walked out with her case in one hand and her new coat in the other. She had chosen to wear the black skirt in hopes to make a good first impression with her new Captain and his first mate, seeing it as a more professional look, but now wishing she had worn the pants as the cold morning air touched her skin and caused goose flesh to rise. Around her she took in Starfleet Academy and realized how much she was going to miss it all.

"Goodbye school… Hello new life."

"Welcome aboard Ensign Alyssa Landers! It's a pleasure to have you join our crew!" Captain Dorian said happily, and he took her hand to shake it in a very enthusiastic manner. She was kind of shocked because she never met a captain who was so energetic. "I would also like you to meet my number one and head of the science division aboard this ship Lieutenant K'tol."

Alyssa looked at K'tol and nodded her head and he returned the gesture.

"Your… Klingon?" Alyssa asked a little unsure as she studied the shallow 'V' shaped ridges on his forehead which vanished into his heir line which lead into a full head of black, slicked back hair. His deep brown eyes sparkled, and he cracked a crooked smile with neat pearly white teeth.

"Well I'm only a fourth Klingon… But very observant Ensign. My ancestor found a human woman that could handle his temper and pride and he took her as his bride… But talking about my ancestry would most likely bore you and with the Captains leave I will show you to your room so you may settle in." He looked to Captain Dorian who nodded and released Alyssa's hand, so she could escape and follow K'tol out of the transporter room.

"So… Ensign… According to your paperwork sent to us you are to finish the remainder of your education over the Starfleet server. I as your superior will be checking in to make sure you are doing so, and I will be double checking with your professors that assignments are being turned in. Captains Falion has given you a chance to gain some field experience with this so please don't waste it…"

"Yes, Lieutenant K'Tol."

"Just call me K'Tol Ensign Landers." K'Tol said as he let Alyssa onto the Turbo lift first and then followed her on. "So, Ms. Landers where are you from on earth?" K'tol asked and Alyssa smiled.

"I was born and raised in Texas. My father retired from Starfleet when my mom passed, and he raised me himself." She answered, and she realized she gave more info then what was asked of her. K'tol looked at her with raised eyebrows before he smiled again.

"A Texan… Well you don't sound like a Texas girl." He said with his continuous smile.

"Not all Texans talk with a southern dialect, though I feel like the reason I don't is because I also grew up alongside a Vulcan child, so I would suspect my way of speaking would be well developed in some areas. Mostly because I was desperate to try and keep up with his intellect, and wanting to understand what he was saying." She said and K'tol laughed.

"Yes, the way you talk is reminiscent of Vulcans… Kind of robotic at certain points. How did you manage keeping up with his intellect though? Vulcan children are far beyond they average adult human IQ."

"Well… I worked hard and read whatever I could get my hands on… But I could never score higher than a 4.1 on my GPA and to a Vulcan that's nothing. But I must have been good enough to keep around for conversation until he went and joined Starfleet." She shrugged her shoulders and K'tol frowned.

"He's older than you?" They came to a stop in front of a room.

"Yeah he's a little over four years older than me. You may have met him he's head of the medical staff and first officer on the U.S.S Rexburg." She said and K'tol looked a little irritated.

"You mean that arrogant Vulcan Saruk?" He stuck his tongue out in slight distaste and Alyssa couldn't help but laugh at how he looked. "I just thought he made fun of humans and the way they talked whenever he opens his mouth… When he talks about earth culture he doesn't stop! Have you ever noticed that if you get him talking long enough he slips in his vocabulary and says things like 'y'all' and he begins to sound like a farm raised hick the way he begins to talk through his nose?"

A sharp glare from Alyssa caused K'tol to falter and clear his throat.

"That farm y'all mentioned woulda been my pa's farm. And he only stayed durin summers." She said sharply, adopting the accent that K'tol had just made fun of and he pressed his hand to his forehead.

"Aaaah man I'm sorry Ms. Landers… I didn't mean to cause any offence." He said, and he looked to the door of the room next to them.

"Well judging by yer own way of talkin you lived on earth for a spell yourself." She crossed her arms and K'tol felt even more like an ideot.

"Yeah… Born and raised actually but I'm more of a… Big City guy." K'tol wanted to escape his embarrassment and figure out how to salvage his first impression on his new assistant. "This is where you will reside on this ship. Tomorrow you will start your official duty's but for now just relax." He said, but she continued to stare at him with slight irritation. "Look miss Landers I have already made an ass of myself in front of you in our first meeting and would very much like to run away now… See you in the lab tomorrow." And the door slid open to a relatively large bare room. K'tol left to go attend to something else leaving Alyssa alone with a slight smile on her face.

She stood there staring at the bare room with simple grey sheets on the large round bed. Walking over with the bed, door closing behind her, she tossed her suitcase up on top and opened it, so she can start pulling out its contents. An old miss matched quilt, a picture of her father and Sakkhet standing next to each other with her and Saruk standing in front of them… It was a strange picture, but it was hers. She sat it on a shelf with a few others and stood back to look around. She figured she would collect more things in her travels but for now it would do.

Alyssa then changed her clothes to her paint stained overalls for more comfort, placed the rest of her cloths and her uniforms, into the closet and plopped down on her bed. Tomorrow she would begin her official duties, and she almost felt sick because of it.


End file.
